The Children of the Habana tells the incredible story of a Spaniard who defied adversity, and went on to become the toast of the city.

Aldecoa – who also played for Wolves – was a child refugee from the Spanish Civil War in the 1930s.

Evacuated to Southampton in 1937, he went on to become the very first Spaniard to play professional football in England.

Aldecoa was among nearly 4,000 unaccompanied child refugees who set out on recommissioned cruise liner the Habana from Bilbao at the end of May 1937 to escape the horrors of the Civil War.

Only a few years later he would go on to play for Wolves and Coventry and then go on to become assistant manager at Birmingham.

But, amazingly, Aldecoa wasn’t the only one on board the boat that would make it into the top tier of English football.

Five others – Sabin Barinaga, Jose Bilbao, Raimundo Perez Lezama and brothers Jose and Tony Gallego – would join him, signing for clubs such as Southampton, Cambridge City and United, Brentford and Norwich.

Coventry City 1945-46

The men from the Habana provided the very first Spanish influences in English football, paving the way for the likes of Silva, Torres, Enrique and Arteta today.

The Children of the Habana was made by Informe Robinson, the award-winning Spanish monthly sports programme, presented by former Liverpool and QPR striker Michael Robinson.

It will be shown along with another Informe Robsinson documentary – The Hour of Africa – at Sidelines festival, which runs from June 6 to June 8 at Hackney Picturehouse in London.

Michael Robinson said: “Both these documentaries show the important role that football played in three sad episodes of the 20th Century – the Spanish Civil War, the Second World War and the apartheid regime in South Africa.

“They are stories of conflict, but also stories of the extraordinary solidarity of ordinary people wanting a better future for themselves and their society.

“Documentary film can be a really powerful way to look at important and untold stories. As a former footballer, I’d say there are few lenses that offer as fascinating view of the world as sport.”